Mayoral battles in Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, and a change on the Anoka County Board

Mandy Meisner of Fridley will become the first person of color on the Anoka County Board, defeating Sean Broom on Tuesday in their contest to represent the Fourth District.

Meisner, community relations manager for the North Metro Mayors Association, will be the fourth woman on the seven-member board, giving it a female majority for the first time in the county's history.

She also will be the first person not named Kordiak to represent the district on the board in 64 years. Longtime Commissioner Jim Kordiak didn't seek re-election to the seat, which his father, Al, held before him.

Mike Elliott, a small-business owner and community activist, defeated Brooklyn Center Mayor Tim Willson in his second try for the seat in four years. Elliott will be the first person of color to serve as the city's mayor.

The race was a rematch of the 2014 contest, when Willson edged out Elliott by 145 votes. Willson has held the office for 12 years.

Elliott, who was born in Liberia, said residents in the rapidly diversifying city of 31,000 were ready for change. More than half the residents of Brooklyn Center are people of color.

Mayor Jeff Lunde won a third term after holding off a challenge from political newcomer Hollies Winston.

During the race, Winston, a business executive who was backed by the DFL Party, tried to paint Lunde as a Republican because he ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate as a GOP candidate in 2016.

Lunde, who was first elected mayor in 2011, said he didn't identify with either party as mayor and did not seek endorsement this year. He has a background in technology and education.

Voters in Brooklyn Park also overwhelmingly approved the issuance of a $26 million bond in a referendum for a series of park upgrades, which will include more senior facilities, a new teen center, picnic shelters, lights for turf fields and a baseball field.